Activists halt Australian coal export to Thailand

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Feature story - 7 September, 2006

Facing down stick-wielding personnel, water-canon-spraying marine police,and gun-wielding navy seals, five Greenpeace activists in Thailand have delayed a shipment of Australian coal from being unloaded at a controversial coal plant in Maptaphut, Thailand.

The five activists chained themselves to the pier bumper and
hung banners that read 'Coal = climate change, Clean Energy Now'.
They remained for two hours before being detained by police with
the help of Navy seals.

A 170,00 tonne carrier, MV Star Europe, carrying a large
shipment of coal from Newcastle, NSW (the world's largest coal
exporting port) has been anchored a few nautical miles away,
waiting for the area to be cleared.

The coal plant, BLCP, is jointly owned by Banpu and Hong Kong
based China Light and scheduled to open in October. BLCP is a
classic example of dirty international financing by the likes of
Asian Development Bank and Japan Bank for International
Cooperation.

"The BLCP coal plant will exacerbate the impacts of climate
change, which is already starting to exact a heavy toll on the
people and economies of Thailand and Southeast Asia. It does not
help that Australia is fuelling climate change in the region with
its coal exports," said Tara Buakamsri of Greenpeace Southeast
Asia.

"Thailand must stop any further use of coal and put a policy in
place for the massive increase of renewable energy and energy
efficiency projects."

The 1,434 MW BLCP coal plant will release nearly 12 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, and once in operation this
plant alone will cause Thailand's carbon emissions to rise by
almost 6 percent a year, according to Greenpeace projections.

Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels, emitting 29 percent more
carbon per unit of energy than oil and 80 percent more than gas,
and contributing significantly to climate change.

"Coal and coal-fired power stations have been strongly opposed
by communities in the region. However, the Australian government
refuses to take action on global warming while ignoring climate
impacts on its own citizens and other countries in Asia. The whole
region will be further threatened by the increase of investments in
coal power plants across Asia many of which will rely on the supply
of Australian coal." said Catherine Fitzpatrick, Greenpeace
Australia Pacific energy campaigner.